protection racket

Well, how quickly does Europe (excluding France) really wish to take control
of NATO and stem US power if they warn the US to remain in Kosovo?  Is it
feared that Bush is leaning toward an isolationist position and that a
stronger Europe will mean a stronger Germany?  Or is the sudden move by Bush
really a bargaining chip for SDI and continued US dominance in NATO?

Here's the gist of it (war / instability or acquiescence to US protection):

PRISTINA, Kosovo, Jan. 15 — Senior NATO generals, United Nations officials
and Western diplomats say they believe that the American role in Kosovo is
as crucial now as ever, and they assert that President-elect George W.
Bush's expressed desire to pull American troops out of the Balkans is both
ill-timed and damaging to Western goals in the region. ... If these officers
and officials do not necessarily fear a new war, they say they believe that
the presence of the world's superpower as a mainstay of the NATO-led
international force keeps Kosovo stable and secure, providing the space for
the United Nations effort to rebuild the province and promote democratic
self-government.  If the Americans should suddenly withdraw or downgrade
their commitment in a big way, the implications would be severe for the NATO
alliance, for regional stability, relations with Russia and the behavior of
the ethnic Albanian Kosovars as well, these officers and officials declare.
If the United States pulled all its troops out of Kosovo, Baton Haxhiu,
chief editor of Kosovo's most respected newspaper, Koha Ditore, has no
doubts about what would happen.  "It would be a disaster," Mr. Haxhiu said.
"Kosovo is an unfinished peace. If American soldiers leave, it's war.
Kosovars believe in the American flag, and Serbian soldiers are afraid of
it. If they don't see it, there's a war between Kosovo and Serbia."

Elson E. Boles
Assistant Professor, Historical Sociology
University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma
2108 S. 19th St.
Chickasha, OK 73018